truthsayer

It is sad. Tatum used to be the co-commentator but now he's been thrust into the role of lead commentator and he's just not very good at that. I was never a big fan before, but at least Nigel Pearson used to be able to get the best out of him. They had some chemistry and Pearson was a strong broadcaster who was able to steer the ship.

Probably the same number of times he unnecessarily says 'number'

Always putting his 'best foot forward'

Peterborough is a track that has historically destroyed tyres. I don't know any more than that, but I do know that when I was involved in the sport around 30 years ago the Dunlops and Barums of the time used to get absolutely hammered. I expect it wouldn't take a significant thing to go from hammering tyres to catastrophic failure. Could be incorrect storage of the tyres, a small change in track surface, temperature or more likely a combination of many factors.

Speedway's done next year. Hard to imagine clubs will be able to rustle up enough funds to pay the electricity bills, let alone all the other rising costs affecting business right now.

The issue is that Artem Laguta is a Polish citizen. If he wasn't, he would be screwed, but hard to imagine that a court would stop a Polish citizen working as a speedway rider because of where he was born. Internationally it becomes more complicated, but if he is eligible to race he must sure be allowed to 'defend' his title. Not sure Emil would get the same invitation, but surely Laguta must get a pick.

And someone really needs to tell him that his 'Dirtometer' is really just a screwdriver.

I find it particularly irritating the way he says 'number' before he says any, erm, number. Gate NUMBER one. Heat NUMBER two. Turn NUMBER four. Even semi finals. Semi final NUMBER one. You don't need to say number, bro! All. The. F***ing time! And that's before we have the perennial 'I have to say', 'Set fair' and all the other classics. Such a limited vocabulary. It's a shame because of his co-commentator's death but he's no lead, for sure.

I agree. And the fact that there are other Aussies and Brits makes them vulnerable. But they are former world champions and Tai is still a major star.

But nowhere near as annoying as Kelvin Tatum and his five phrases being repeated ad nauseum.

Laguta is a Polish citizen. Hard to see him being denied labour next year for that sole reason. And if he is riding surely he must get a pick if he wants it.

Some big names are going to miss out on the GP in 2023. Assuming that the Euro champion gets a place, and that Laguta will probably get a pick, guys like Doyle and Woffinden might not be there next year.

Super racing. I just can't listen to Kelvin Tatum though. I know it's a tragic situation but he is a truly awful lead commentator.

Oh man. We've just run out of vodka. We have a drinking game where we take a shot every time Tatum says 'number'. That's two bottles and I ain't going to work tomorrow!

It's like taking full insurance cover on a rental car. It's all about money. I don't know the costs involved, but I'll estimate it to be around £500 saved per meeting. x 20 meetings a year, that's £10k saved. Chances of it affecting the meeting, pretty slim. If they find themselves in this situation once every three years, chances are that financially it's right just to go with one and take a hit when the worst does happen. That's assuming they are actually able to find medical cover.

Don't necessarily agree with that. At an elite level, bikes that are easier to ride are likely to lead to more processional racing as the skill level required to ride them to the maximum is reduced. That said, there is a need to create engines which are cheaper and easier to maintain, as well as easier to ride, for competitors at a lower level.

Almost every sport is essentially a 'participation' sport. In other words, people pay their dues and take part for their own entertainment. Then, at some level, people pay to watch and it becomes a 'spectator' or 'professional' sport. The amateur ranks far outweigh the professional ones. British speedway is the only sport I can think of where the vast majority of meetings take place in front of paying spectators. But there are not enough riders and not enough facilities for riders to practice and develop. There needs to be an amateur level. Not just an amateur level, but a predominantly amateur level. Seriously. 90% of British speedway should be amateur, 5% 'semi-professional' and no more than 5% fully professional. Speedway is a relatively cheap form of motorsport, especially at an amateur level. For example, a rider in a support class at British super bikes will pay £400 for entry fees, £1000 for tyres and £100 for fuel each weekend. That's doing it cheap in one of the lower classes, and without the cost of buying the motorcycles (think £20k) and repairing them. Out of the 160-ish riders competing in BSB this weekend, I'd suggest 130 are paying for the privilege, around 20 are cost neutral and only a few are actually making a living. At club level, 100% are paying for the privilege. Speedway doesn't have enough riders. This is the main flaw in the business plan.

In the context of motorsports, speedway is very inexpensive.

Speedway is failing for many, many reasons. While I agree with you on the whole, I think that the lack of riders coming through is a massive issue. More local riders are essential. There is a need to reduce costs. Having riders commuting from other countries (and even from one end of the country to the other) is not sustainable. There are not enough riders in the sport. IMO, the priorities are to bring in more riders - not just elite riders but just actual riders - and to ensure that clubs have sustainable business models. Speedway is an exciting and relatively inexpensive form of motorsport to participate in, but it is not appealing as an amateur sport.

Amateurs are the lifeblood of all other motorsports. They pay to race as their hobby. Their entry fees put money into the sport. It supports venues and industry suppliers. There is none of this in speedway. Club racing, well run, can provide a fulfilling day's racing for competitors of all levels. Entry fees, not ticket sales, sustain the clubs. Young riders get an opportunity to practice and develop. Older riders get a chance of competing on their own terms. A few, very few, make it to a level where they make money, or at least break even. If I was a youngster, I'd rather race motocross where I get more track time. All Britain's top racers in other disciplines started off in club racing, it's where talent develops. The whole concept of developing speedway as a professional product for the fans is flawed in my opinion. Develop the product for the riders, a mass of riders. Give them a product that's appealing, that they'd rather do instead of motocross, enduro or banger racing, and let that keep the clubs and venues alive. Venues who feel that they can offer a spectator led offering are, of course, welcome to do so. I can't see a future for speedway, but having a stable base at the bottom of the sport is critical. How can speedway attract new riders when there is essentially nowhere to practice? BTW, speedway is not the only sport in this position. Consumers have more choice now. Going to speedway was a big night out for me in the early 80s. Now I have so many other things wanting my dollar, and they almost always win.

No. For such short races there would be no such issues. The batteries would be so compact that arguably they'd be swappable and chargeable off bike. A bike would have to run for a maximum of 10 minutes and this could be easily achieved using a battery weighing less than a regular speedway engine.

Why is speedway failing? There is not enough words to say why. To me, the fundamental is that there is no amateur structure. There's no club racing, where competitors fund the sport. There are not enough competitors, and there is not enough money going into the sport. It's not a team sport. It's an individual sport. It's a bunch of enthusiasts 'promoting' a sport by committee, with the committee determining their business model.

Crikey all those companies like Volkswagen, Renault and Land Rover investing billions in EV technology, but a bloke on the internet is telling them they're doing it all wrong.... Speedway is perfect for electrification. Six minutes of running a night, no problem. If you want motorsports in the cities, you have to make it quiet.

The problem you have with online streaming is the 'perceived' value to most consumers. So much online is free and unless you are a hardcore fan, the cost of streaming something you think should be free is hard to get around. I think the most likely option for speedway would be to aim for sponsorship to cover production costs. Keep production quality fairly basic, stream it for free and look to get fans to donate what they think its worth to them. Some comedy clubs have been doing this in the past few months and although its not a massive earner, it provides an income and gets people in in the first place. This is my problem. I will not give British Speedway £13 for something that is untried, but which I perceive as probably being a bit rubbish. Give me it for free and I will certainly make a donation if its any good (which might be more than £13). Long term, I don't think streaming is a viable business model, but it might be an additional revenue, erm, stream.

It's a difficult one. I'd like to support but they are charging top dollar prices for it, so I probably won't. Especially as sport on TV is just coming out of our ears just now. Personally I don't have a problem with that price for a top dollar product, but this is British speedway and my expectation is amateur hour. I know the costs have to be covered, but an 'introductory' offer of a fiver would have been a great way to prove the technology and showcase what they could do. That would get me in and give them a chance to prove they have a product worth more than a tenner for future years.